The Installation

The Selection

Through the blind judging process, Nicole Kohri’s “Deltawaves” was selected as the mosaic that best represented the architecture of the space, characteristics of the Wet Republic and MGM Grand brand, and the essence of Las Vegas.

The winning design was produced in 3/4″ vitreous glass tile by Artaic and affixed to clear acrylic panels with Bostik’s Dimension™ RapidCure™ Glass-Filled, Pre-Mixed Grout. The materials were chosen for their translucent qualities, making them the perfect choice for backlit applications. The intricacies of the mosaic design are highlighted to create a three dimensional appearance that has been heralded by designers worldwide.

The mosaic mural was then shipped to Las Vegas to be installed as a backlit focal piece at MGM Grand’s Wet Republic pool club.

The Party

The completed backlit mosaic was unveiled to over a thousand designers on May 5 at HD Expo’s Party By The Pool.

At sunset, the winning design was displayed and quickly backlit to further exhibit all of its amazing artistic and unique visual characteristics. The winning designer, Nicole Kohri, was there in person to receive her grand prize: a round-trip vacation for two to Paris!

Backlit displays of the top ten finalists’ work remained on display on the trade show floor throughout HD Expo.

The Traveling Gallery

The final tier of Design ‘N Gather 2016 concluded at the annual American Institute of Architects (AIA) Convention, May 19-21 in Philadelphia. In addition to a gallery of the top ten designs displayed throughout the show, the DNG competition was also highlighted at “The Party!,” the convention’s annual biggest bash, which included one of Philly’s most famous sons, actor Kevin Bacon and his band, The Bacon Brothers Band.

Prior to the band coming on stage, Scott Banda, Director of Marketing & Business Development of Bostik’s Consumer & Construction Business Unit and Dr. Ted Acworth, CEO & Founder of Artaic Innovative Mosaic, kicked off the event by introducing Nicole Kohri and the Design ‘N Gather competition to the nearly 3,000 architects and design professionals in attendance. In the ballroom’s lobby, ten brightly-lit, free-standing, mosaic tile displays exhibited all semi-finalists’ work and of course, that of Nicole Kohri.